Prime Minister Mark Carney has called Israel's denial of humanitarian aid in Gaza a violation of international law.
In a news statement on Thursday, he pressed for Israel's control of aid distribution to be replaced amid reports of mass starvation in Gaza.
His statement comes hours after French President Emmanuel Macron announced on X that he intends for his country to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
"Israel's control of aid distribution must be replaced by comprehensive provision of humanitarian assistance led by international organizations," Carney said in a media statement Thursday evening. "Many of these are holding significant Canadian-funded aid which has been blocked from delivery to starving civilians."
"This denial of humanitarian aid is a violation of international law," he said.
Carney reiterated that Canada supports a two-state solution "which guarantees peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians."
Israel condemned Macron's announcement made on X, in which he shared a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead and work to convince other partners to follow suit.
"True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine," Macron said.
"I will make this solemn announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next September."
Joint statement calls Gaza aid distribution 'dangerous'
Earlier on Thursday, federal Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said that she would attend a two-state solution conference in New York City, where she will meet with her French counterparts to discuss Macron's decision.
"We need to ensure that Hamas lays down its arms and does not participate in any way in the governance of an eventual two-state solution," she said, noting that ensuring that humanitarian aid flows and that hostages are released are important for Canadians.
Anand and 24 of her counterparts abroad signed a joint statement on Monday, calling Israel's aid distribution system "dangerous" and asserting that "the war in Gaza must end now."
The signatories, including foreign ministers of France, Japan and the U.K. and the European Union commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, said it's "horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid."
The death toll cited is based on figures released by the UN Human Rights Office.
In their statement, the ministers also condemned Hamas for continuing to hold Israeli hostages captured in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and called for their immediate release.
AeroFred on July 25th, 2025 at 03:56 UTC »
950 tracks worth of food wait in Gaza but UN doesn't distribute it
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-denies-gaza-famine-claims-says-aid-is-entering-strip-but-not-being-distributed/
UN demands for Israel to allow hamas police security, which is against it earlier statements that no warring parties security is allowed
https://press.un.org/en/2024/db241118.doc.htm
Question: Okay, my question is not about the escalators. I do want a clarification though, because you just said that the UN would not accept any, if I understood you correctly, security support in Gaza from any of the warring parties. Is that correct?
Spokesman: That is correct.
Question: Okay, but hasn't the UN said through some channels, I'm not sure which, but that as the occupying Power in quotes in Gaza, Israel has a responsibility to provide security. If that's true, then how do you reconcile those two?
Spokesman: It has a responsibility to ensure that we are safe and that humanitarian aid is safe. I mean, I think it's pretty obvious that we would be an even greater target if we were surrounded by armed soldiers from one of the two parties during this conflict. The best protection is for this conflict to stop.
Question: No, I understand that. But there still seems to be a contradiction here, because on the one hand you're saying Israel is responsible for security of humanitarian delivery in Gaza, and the other hand, the UN will not accept IDF provided security to these convoys. So I'm not sure how you reconcile that.
Spokesman: I think we reconcile it by trying to find a way to keep our people and the community as safe as possible. Okay, on that note, adieu, hasta mañana.
PS. The irony of both demanding IDF to provide security and not allowing it to be provided
PPS. in article, according to UN, it at same time delivers aid, doesn't deliver aid and doesn't know if there is any aid to deliver https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-blames-un-for-gaza-aid-shortage-says-hamas-exploiting-famine-claims-at-talks/ . and it demands IDF to make deliveries secure (but not to be close to convoys) while requesting (in previous article) hamas police to provide security
longjiang on July 25th, 2025 at 02:39 UTC »
In foreign affairs, the phrase “international law” is often used without specifying what specific laws they refer to, which can make the statement vague and meaningless. So far I wasn’t able to find the full statement to ascertain whether he made such specific references, and none of the news sources contain links to that statement
whereamInowgoddamnit on July 25th, 2025 at 02:16 UTC »
Considering his foreign minister is one of the signatories in that statement calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire that likely led to the scuttling of ceasefire talks today due to Hamas no longer taking them seriously, ultimately contributing to the famine, forgive me if it's hard to take his statement without disdain.